Microsoft scrambling to keep up with Kinect demandSan Francisco (AFP) Nov 30, 2010 -
Microsoft said Tuesday that it sold more than 2.5 million Kinect for Xbox 360 devices worldwide in the 25 days after that the gesture-sensing videogame controllers hit the market.
Microsoft is on track to meet its forecast of selling five million Kinect gadgets by the end of the year, according to Don Mattrick, president of Interactive Entertainment Business at the US-based technology giant.
"We are thrilled about the consumer response to Kinect, and are working hard with our retail and manufacturing partners to expedite production and shipments of Kinect to restock shelves as fast as possible to keep up with demand," Mattrick said.
Kinect is available at more than 60,000 retailers in 38 countries, according to Microsoft.
Kinect uses a 3D camera and motion recognition software to let people play videogames on Xbox 360 consoles using natural body movements and voice commands instead of hand-held controllers.
The standalone Kinect, which works with the 45 million Xbox 360s already sold worldwide, costs 150 dollars. A four-gigabyte Xbox 360 console that includes the Kinect and the "Kinect Adventures" game sells for 299 dollars.

by Staff WritersNew York (AFP) Nov 30, 2010 British tycoon Richard Branson launched a glossy magazine for the iPad on Tuesday, getting the jump on News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch in the race to develop publications for the hot Apple device.

"Project," a monthly style and culture magazine developed by Branson's Virgin Group and the British publisher Seven Squared, will cost 2.99 dollars (1.79 pounds) an issue and be sold through Apple's online App Store.

"The entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and kicking at Virgin," Branson told reporters at a Manhattan hotel launch event for Project, whose first cover features actor Jeff Bridges, star of the upcoming movie "Tron: Legacy."

"It's a truly interactive digital magazine," Branson said, adding that "it's going to make advertising a hundred times more efficient."

"You can even play with the adverts," he said.

Branson's unveiling of Project comes ahead of the expected launch in the next few weeks of News Corp.'s new digital newspaper for the iPad called "The Daily."

Branson dismissed suggestions he was engaged in a war with Murdoch.

"It's not a battle," he said. "It's about giving the millions of iPad users around the world something truly innovative.

At the same time, the British entrepreneur added, "it's all about choice, and a fair bit of competition doesn't hurt.

"I have the feeling that on quality, we'll be willing to be judged," said Branson, who launched a magazine called "Student" when he was a teenager and has since built an empire ranging from music to airlines to rocket ships.

Project editor-in-chief Anthony Noguera, a former editor of Arena, described the new digital publication as "an agenda-setting magazine."

"It's about big ideas, about ideas that are shaping the world today," Noguera told AFP.

The first edition features articles about celebrated Danish chef Rene Redzepi and another on Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of the videogame Gran Turismo.

"Many of the people (featured in the magazine) are not household names but they should be," Noguera said.

He said Project will take advantage of the full capabilities of the iPad's multi-media format. "On every page there will be links to expand the story," he said.

The article about Jeff Bridges, for example, includes pictures from "Tron: Legacy" and clicking on each photo provides a commentary by the actor about the scene in question.

Project's staff is made of up 20 full-time employees based in London. The first edition features advertisments from automobile manufacturers, a brewery, a credit card company and a consumer electronics firm.

Noguera said that although so much news is available on the Internet for free consumers will pay for quality.

"It's a quality piece of editorial, so you have to pay for it," he said of Project. "This is an expensive product to make."

Project is only available for the iPad for the moment but it will come to the iPhone in the next few months and eventually to other tablet computers.

Thales announces venture for Chinese in-flight systemsParis (AFP) Nov 16, 2010
French electronics group Thales announced on Tuesday the creation of a joint venture in China to provide an in-flight entertainment system for a Chinese airliner set to compete with Airbus aircraft.
The system is for the future Chinese C919 airliner, intended as a competitor to the European Airbus A320 and US Boeing 737 medium-range aircraft.
Thales said it had signed a letter of intent ... read more

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement